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BNSF Line

This article is about a commuter rail line. For the freight railroad company that owns and operates the line, see BNSF Railway.

BNSF Line
An inbound Metra train arrives in Naperville, pushed by an MP36PH-3S.
Overview
OwnerBNSF Railway (Leased to Metra)
Termini
Stations26
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMetra
Operator(s)BNSF Railway
Metra
Rolling stockEMD F40PH/F40PHM-3 locomotives
Gallery Cars
Daily ridership63,000 (average weekday 2018)[1]
Ridership6,165,657 (2023)
Technical
Line length37.5 miles (60.4 km)
Number of tracks2 (at Aurora station)
3 (Aurora–La Vergne)
4 (La Vergne–Union Station)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speedUp to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h)
Route map
Map BNSF Line highlighted in green
Legend
 enlarge… NCS to Antioch
enlarge… MD-W to Big Timber Road
enlarge… MD-N to Fox Lake
0 mi
 Union Station Amtrak
Blue
14th Street Yard
enlarge… HC to Joliet
enlarge… SWS to Manhattan
I-90.svgI-94.svg I-90 / I-94
1.8 mi
2.9 km
 Halsted Street
Pink to the Loop
3.8 mi
6.1 km
 Western Avenue
Western Avenue Corridor
Pink to 54th/Cermak
Belt Railway of Chicago
7.0 mi
11.3 km
 Cicero
7.5 mi
12.1 km
Morton Park
8.5 mi
13.7 km
Clyde
IC West Line
9.1 mi
14.6 km
 La Vergne
9.6 mi
15.4 km
 Berwyn
10.1 mi
16.3 km
 Harlem Avenue
11.1 mi
17.9 km
 Riverside
Des Plaines River
11.8 mi
19 km
 Hollywood
Salt Creek
12.3 mi
19.8 km
 Brookfield
13.1 mi
21.1 km
 Congress Park
Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad
13.8 mi
22.2 km
 La Grange Road Amtrak
14.2 mi
22.9 km
 Stone Avenue
15.5 mi
24.9 km
 Western Springs
I-294.svg I-294
16.4 mi
26.4 km
 Highlands
16.9 mi
27.2 km
 Hinsdale
17.8 mi
28.6 km
 West Hinsdale
18.3 mi
29.5 km
 Clarendon Hills
19.5 mi
31.4 km
 Westmont
20.4 mi
32.8 km
 Fairview Avenue
21.2 mi
34.1 km
 Downers Grove Main Street
22.6 mi
36.4 km
 Belmont
I-355.svg I-355
Saint Joseph Creek
24.5 mi
39.4 km
 Lisle
DuPage River (East Branch)
28.5 mi
45.9 km
 Naperville Amtrak
DuPage River (West Branch)
31.6 mi
50.9 km
 Route 59
EJ&E Railway
33.4 mi
53.8 km
Eola
36.5 mi
58.7 km
Scraper Works
Hill Yard
37.5 mi
60.4 km
 Aurora
Aurora (CB&Q Depot)
Amtrak
Amtrak to
Emeryville, Quincy,
and Los Angeles
Key
 BNSF Line
Former route alignment
 Other Metra lines
Other freight lines
CTA lines
Mileage source[2]
Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible except
Halsted Street, Western Avenue, and Congress Park.
This diagram:

The BNSF Line is a Metra commuter rail line operated by the BNSF Railway in Chicago and its western suburbs, running from Chicago Union Station to Aurora, Illinois through the Chicago Subdivision. In 2010, the BNSF Line continued to have the highest weekday ridership (average 64,600) of the 11 Metra lines.[3] While Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, the BNSF line's color on Metra timetables is "Cascade Green," in honor of the Burlington Northern Railroad.[4]

As of April 29, 2024, the public timetable shows 91 trains (44 inbound, 47 outbound) on the BNSF Line on weekdays. Of these, 32 inbound trains originate from Aurora, one from Downers Grove Main Street, nine from Fairview Avenue, and two from Brookfield. Five outbound trains terminate at Brookfield, eight at Fairview Avenue, three at Naperville, and the rest at Aurora. Weekend and holiday service consists of 36 trains (18 in each direction), with trains making all stops from Union Station to Aurora, save for a morning and afternoon inbound express train and an afternoon outbound train that run express from Union Station to Downers Grove Main Street.

Bike cars are available on weekday trains #1212 (leaves 5:29 A.M.,) #1252 (leaves 9:04 A.M.,) and #1284 (leaves 5:04 P.M.) inbound from Aurora, and trains #1217 (leaves 7:33 A.M.,) #1239 (leaves 3:10 P.M.,) and #1283 (leaves 6:50 P.M.) outbound to Aurora.

Bike cars are available on weekend trains #2002 (leaves 6:20 A.M.) and #2012 (leaves 10:20 A.M.) inbound from Aurora, and trains #2003 (leaves 8:40 A.M.) and #2013 (leaves 2:40 P.M.) outbound to Aurora.

The line is operated by BNSF under a "purchase of service agreement" with Metra, inherited from Burlington Northern. While Metra owns all rolling stock, the management and crews are BNSF employees. BNSF is the owner of the right-of-way, controls the line and handles dispatching from corporate headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. Metra imposes a 70 mph maximum allowed speed for passenger trains. The BNSF Line may be the only Metra commuter line that operates via purchase-of-service agreements as of 2024 due to the Union Pacific Railroad announcing its intentions to transfer the operations and supplying of commuter trains to the Metra system itself for the routes originating from the Ogilvie Transportation Center.

History

The railroad between Chicago and Aurora was constructed in 1864 by the Chicago and Aurora Railroad, which evolved into the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The CB&Q operated the commuter service until the railroad merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1970. Burlington Northern merged with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1995 to form the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, which would later rename itself to BNSF Railway.

When the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) began subsidizing Chicago's commuter rail operations in 1974, Burlington Northern continued to operate its line under contract to the RTA. This arrangement continued when the RTA organized its commuter rail lines under the RTA Commuter Rail Division in 1983, later rebranded as Metra in 1985.

Today, the triple-track line is one of the busiest rail corridors in the United States. In addition to the 91 Metra trains that currently use the line, BNSF freight trains frequent the line at all hours. Amtrak's Southwest Chief, California Zephyr, and Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg use the line as well, making an intermediate stop at Naperville. The Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg services also stop at La Grange Road. Rail fans have coined the line as the "BNSF Racetrack".[5]

The Clyde station at South Austin Boulevard and West 29th Street in Cicero was closed on April 1, 2007 due to low ridership and its dilapidation. In the months before its closure, it was used by about 50 passengers a day.[6]

Kendall County extension

There have been proposals to extend service west into Kendall County, which as of 2020 is outside the RTA's service area. Potential new stations would be built in Montgomery, Oswego, Yorkville, Plano, and Sandwich, Illinois.[7][8] The Plano station would be located over 1 mile west of the CB&Q Depot currently used by Amtrak's Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg trains.

Ridership

Between 2014 and 2019, annual ridership declined 7% from 16.7 million to 15.5 million passengers.[9][10] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership dropped to 3,659,617 passengers in 2020.[11][12]

5,000,000
10,000,000
15,000,000
20,000,000
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023

Rolling stock

The BNSF Line's locomotive fleet consists of the EMD F40PH-3 and the EMD F40PHM-3. Until 2012, some MPI MP36PH-3S locomotives (401-405) also operated on the line; however, they were reassigned to the Milwaukee lines and the North Central Service due to operating difficulties. Passenger cars include Gallery Cars from Pullman (Bike Car), Budd, Morrison-Knudsen/Amerail, and Nippon Sharyo.

Stations

County Zone Location Station Connections and notes
Cook 1 Chicago Union Station Amtrak Amtrak (long-distance): California Zephyr, Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Empire Builder, Floridian, Lake Shore Limited, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle
Amtrak Amtrak (intercity): Blue Water, Borealis, Hiawatha, Illini and Saluki, Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, Lincoln Service, Pere Marquette, Wolverine
Metra Metra: ■ Milwaukee District North, ■ Milwaukee District West, ■ North Central Service, ■ Heritage Corridor, ■ SouthWest Service
Chicago "L": Blue (at Clinton), Brown Orange Pink Purple (at Quincy)
Bus interchange CTA Bus: 1, 7, J14, 19, 28, 56, 60, 120, 121, 124, 125, 126, 128, 130, 151, 156, 157, 192
Bus interchange Pace Bus: 755
Bus interchange Amtrak Thruway: Chicago–Madison and Chicago–Rockford (Van Galder), Chicago–Louisville (Greyhound)
2 Halsted Street
 Bus interchange CTA Bus: 8, 18, N62
Western Avenue Chicago "L": Pink (at Western)
Bus interchange CTA Bus: 18, 49, X49
Cicero Cicero Bus interchange CTA Bus: 35, 54, 54B, 60
Morton Park Closed between 1938 and 1957
Clyde Closed April 1, 2007
Berwyn La Vergne
(rush only) 		Bus interchange Pace Bus: 302, 314
Berwyn Bus interchange Pace Bus: 302, 311
Harlem Avenue Bus interchange Pace Bus: 302, 307
Riverside Riverside
Brookfield Hollywood
Brookfield Bus interchange Pace Bus: 331
3 Congress Park
(rush only) 		Bus interchange Pace Bus: 302, 331
La Grange La Grange Road Amtrak Amtrak: Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg
Bus interchange Pace Bus: 302, 330, 331
Stone Avenue
(rush only)
Western Springs Western Springs
DuPage Hinsdale Highlands
(rush only)
Hinsdale
West Hinsdale
(rush only)
Clarendon Hills Clarendon Hills
Westmont Westmont Bus interchange Pace Bus: 715
Downers Grove Fairview Avenue
4 Downers Grove Main Street Bus interchange Pace Bus: 834
Belmont Bus interchange Grove Commuter Shuttle: West Route
Lisle Lisle
Naperville Naperville Amtrak Amtrak: California Zephyr, Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, Southwest Chief
Bus interchange Pace Bus: 530, 714, 722
Bus interchange Burlington Trailways: Chicago–Davenport
Naperville/
Aurora 		Route 59 Bus interchange Pace Bus: 559
Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines: Chicago–Davenport
Eola Eola Closed to passengers prior to 1971, closed entirely later
Kane Aurora
Scraper Works Closed 1974
Aurora Bus interchange Pace Bus: 524, 530, 533, 540, 802
  Aurora (CB&Q Depot) Closed 1986

References

  1. ^ "Operations and Ridership Data". Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  2. ^ State of the System - BNSF
  3. ^ "Ridership Reports -System Facts". Metra. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  4. ^ "Did you know?" (PDF). On the Bi-Level: 3. June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2010.
  5. ^ Mann, Leslie (March 23, 2011). "When that lonesome whistle blows, rail fans know where to line up". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  6. ^ Ruzich, Joseph (February 21, 2007). "Cicero's Metra stop to receive makeover". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  7. ^ "A step closer on local Metra station". Oswego Ledger-Sentinel. March 12, 2009. Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  8. ^ Girardi, Linda (November 26, 2019). "Possible Metra extension into Kendall County focus of upcoming meetings". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  9. ^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2018" (PDF). Metra. p. 4. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2019" (PDF). Metra. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  11. ^ "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2020" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  12. ^ "RTAMS | Regional Transportation Authority Mapping and Statistics". rtams.org. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
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